Nala's Pride
by Connor Gorden
Summary: What happens when Simba dies saving Nala from the hyenas at the elephant graveyard?  I am not a Simba hater.   I own nothing but the idea for this story.
1. Elephant graveyard

"Simba!" Nala cried out as she slipped on an unfortunately placed bone. It gave way when she stepped on it, and she quickly began to slip backward down the hill. The hyenas were hot in tow, and catching up quickly. Their aged, more experienced paws made easier work of the hill than the young lions could. Easily gaining ground, they came up fast behind Nala. Whether she saw how close the hyenas were was a mystery, as she was obviously panicked by the very thought of what could be right behind her.

At the moment, they may not have been directly behind her, but were in pouncing range regardless. In fact the only reason the cubs weren't in the hyenas' clutches right at the moment, was because of the head start they had while Banzai and Shenzi were cracking stupid jokes.

Simba turned around at the sound of his friend's desperate plea for help. He gasped; the scene was one out of a nightmare. Nala was desperately clawing at the edge of the cliff they had scaled, trying to find solid ground under the piles of bones. Shenzi was almost within snapping range now, and she was poised for a final pounce to reach Nala, her lunch.

Simba sprung into action. He didn't even have time to think before he found himself barreling back down the hill. He had to reach Nala. He had to keep her safe. After all, it was his fault that they were in this situation.

As he reached Nala, Simba saw Shenzi's legs tensing, moments from pouncing, and tearing Nala to her inevitable doom. Nala was losing her struggle to regain her footing and was a sitting duck for the attack. Simba had to act fast if he was going to save her.

Simba pulled back his front paw and smashed Shenzi across the face just as she was about to land. The impact did little, but it stunned the hyena enough to stop her, if for only a moment. Simba and Nala turned and were ready to flee. Then, an unnoticed Banzai jumped Simba while he was turned.

Nala, not realizing that Simba had been caught, took off at a full sprint. As she ran, she ducked under tusks, and made sure not to lose her footing again. It was her own clumsiness that had gotten them into this in the first place after all.

After a few yards of running, she stopped cold in her tracks. An enormous lion vaulted over a giant heap of bones, trailed closely by a majestic-looking horn bill. The adult lion landed gracefully, and turned in one fluid movement. This massive beast was Mufasa, with the bird obviously being Zazu, the king's major-domo.

"Where is Simba?" Mufasa asked simply, controlled rage apparent in his blazing glare.

"I...uh...uh..." Nala stammered. Looking around, she noticed that she had no idea where her friend was, and oddly enough, the hyenas were nowhere to be seen.

Mufasa sprinted in the direction the young cub had come from, leaving her in the dust behind him.

Nala was still deep in thought, looking all around her, hoping with all her worth that Simba was hiding right behind her, like he always liked to do.

"He's just playing..." She told herself, denying any possible alternatives. "This is just another one of his pranks."

The elephant graveyard was silent behind her. Not a hyena or lion could be heard.

"You can come out now!" Nala yelled out, fear in her eyes. "You really got me this time, Simba!"

As Mufasa ran he felt panic for the first time in his life. He had no idea where his son was, but knew that he was in the clutches of the hyenas.

"Please, let him be alright," he begged of some invisible spirit. He had nothing to go on to follow the hyenas, but the general direction of where Nala had come in from. As he neared an open plain, he saw the hyenas he was looking for. Gathered around some mass, he couldn't make out in this distance.

He picked up speed, and barreled toward the hyenas. They clearly saw him coming, as they started running away, before he had even reached them.

As he neared the mass, he didn't want to believe his eyes. It was Simba, lying on the dark patch of ground, motionless.

Mufasa nuzzled his son. "Simba... Simba!" he shouted, in fear, his eyes finally realizing what he was seeing. He sat down in front of his son, not having the energy to move. Tears streamed down his strong face.

Zazu sat down next to the king, tears also spilling down his face. He couldn't believe the scene in front of him. He usually had a way with words, at least enough to comfort Mufasa, but he had nothing to say now.

"NOOO!" Mufasa shouted into the sky. Finally he accepted the truth in front of him and broke down into full despair.

He cried his rage into the heavens, and the savanna trembled.


	2. A Growing Contempt

AUTHORS NOTES

I would like to credit my beta Amy. She has made my story a million times better, and I would recommend her to anyone who is in need of a quality editor.

Also, I would like to apologize for how long it took to get this chapter up, but this is one of the longest chapters I have ever written.

Without further adu, enjoy.

A Growing Contempt

A mourning Pride had gathered at the base of Pride Rock. Rumors of the death of the prince had reached them. Now being called to this unceremonious meeting, in the middle of a horrible downpour seemed to confirm them.

Nala had been at Pride Rock when the gathering roar had been issued by the King. She had run back to Pride Rock, when she couldn't find Simba in the graveyard. She heard the cry come from Mufasa, but she couldn't understand what it meant. It seemed like a cry of agony, but that couldn't be. Simba was fine, he had to be. It was Simba after all. Nala rationalized that it wasn't a cry of pain she had heard from Mufasa, but a rageful roar. He must have found the hyenas, and wanted to scare them. "Simba is probably back at Pride Rock, getting a good laugh out of this." She had said to herself with a laugh as she raced back to Pride Rock. Now, however, with the Pride arriving in various stages of distress, Nala's confidence was dwindling.

She too gathered with the rest of the Pride, scared and confused. Fur soaking wet, rain blinded and surrounded by sobbing family, she searched for her mother.

Nala found her mother with her brother Mheetu taking shelter from the rain under her mother's muscular frame. Mheetu was crying on the ground under the elder lioness, obviously distressed.

Nala was a little worried by this. Mheetu, though he was often picked on by the elder cubs, was very close to Simba. Often the three would play until long after their curfew, Mheetu fussing that the sun was going down and it was time to go home, but having just as much fun as either one of them. If something had happened to Simba, Mheetu would have good reason to be as upset as he seemed now.

"No." Nala rejected the idea. "Mheetu's a crybaby. He cries all the time about everything," the female cub rationalized. She laughed, and shook her head. "No, Simba's fine," she said with a confident smile.

Then she looked from her brother to her mother. Her heart dropped, and her casual walk became a panicked sprint. Sarafina was crying. Her mother never cried; she was always so lighthearted and happy. Something terrible had happened.

Nala finally reached her mother, and sat down in front of her, out of breath from the sprint. "Mom! What happened? What's wrong?" Nala asked, panic visible in her eyes and obvious in her wobbling voice.

Sarafina could only shake her head, as she struggled to hold back the tears behind red rimmed eyes. She patted Nala on the head, and pushed her into cover with her brother.

Nala was truly terrified now. Why was her mother so upset? Why was the Pride so upset? Where was Simba?

As these and a thousand other questions rushed through Nala's mind Mufasa appeared at the top of Pride Rock, looking exhausted with sorrow. Sarabi was behind him. Having only recently been told of the death of her son, she walked slowly. It took her great effort to resist crying out in anguish. The poise with which she usually walked had disintegrated, and walking was slow and labored.

As the King and Queen arrived at the top of Pride Rock, an almost visible dark aura following them, the Pride fell into a hush waiting for the King's announcement.

Mufasa gazed out at his gathered subjects. His usually cheerful face was darkened with sadness, and for the first time he looked unsteady in front of the Pride.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Nala asked fear making her heart beat hard against her chest. Tears of panic were threatening to overtake her.

"Hush Nala." Sarafina shushed her. The king was preparing to make an announcement, and Sarafina looked towards the Rock.

Nala joined her mother's gaze, moving slightly out from cover to get a better view. She was now directly next to her mother's front leg. As she gazed up at Mufasa, she realized this was the first time she had seen him genuinely upset. As she looked toward the king, her confidence of Simba's safety dwindled.

She numbed herself. "No, this is about something else. Something entirely different," she insisted, ignoring her own common sense telling her otherwise.

Mufasa prepared himself for the Pride's reaction to this horrible news. He had been forced to tell his wife of Simba's death shortly beforehand. She had desperately wanted to believe that he was making some awful joke, but when Simba was nowhere to be found she had to accept the truth. Not even having the time to mourn, Mufasa thought it was important to tell the Pride right away, she was forced to swallow her bitter agony. It seemed every movement was closer to bringing her to crying out for her lost son.

Mufasa sat, heavy with the weight of his own grief and his mate's, trying to pick his words carefully. He was furious with himself for the course of action he felt forced to make. He could only imagine how the Pride would feel.

"Today is a very dark day, my family. Today we have lost one of our own..." Mufasa boomed, making certain his words reached the whole of the Pride, a skill he was adept at as king. His words wavered, however, and he had to stop several times to compose himself.

"Today, my son, the prince, has joined the great pride in the sky. Though it grieves us, we must not hold grudges. Simba would want the Pride to continue on in peace and prosperity... even without him..." Mufasa nearly choked on his own despair, and stopped to swallow the sob welling up in his throat. "We must continue on, despite ourselves. We must not have hate of the hyenas. They are perpetrators of a crime they are too ignorant to know they have committed.

Remember Simba, but remember that he was a kind cub, with an adventurous spirit. He would not want fighting and bloodshed done in his name. He would be far happier to see those he knows and loves, his family, continuing their lives happy. He would grieve to think his absence caused agony to those he held so close to his heart."

Mufasa managed to get through his speech, by the grace of the Kings, managing to hold himself together.

He questioned his own words, however; he wouldn't show indecisiveness in the sight of the Pride. Still there was a part of him that couldn't understand why he didn't simply lead a blood thirsty charge against the hyenas. He hated that he didn't, even now, have the hyenas under his gnashing claws. He knew, however, that was a poor choice of actions.

Though the hyenas were over matched, and victory was assured, at least several of the pride would fall. Besides that, he was right; Simba would not want bloodshed. Mufasa would do nothing to defile his son's memory.

Nala sat wiping her tears off her mother's leg. She was exhausted with sorrow, barely feeling the rain as it continued to soak her. Moreover, however she felt an emotion new to her, rage.

At first the rage was undirected. She raged at the world's unfairness, she despised the wretched cowardly hyenas, and she even felt a little anger at Simba for leaving her behind.

Eventually she found focus for her rage, Mufasa. At first she couldn't understand her own harsh feelings against the King, but then she began to rationalize. Simba would have wanted justice. He would have wanted to know the hyenas hadn't simply gotten away with what they had done. Nala obviously knew Simba better than Mufasa did if she knew that and he didn't. What kind of a father did that make him? Why didn't he seem to care?

As Nala thought these things, and tears continued to streak her face, she looked up at the royal family. She saw the King and Queen, the mourning parents. She saw Rafiki and Zazu, sitting close by them, stone faced and near tears themselves. However it was the final piece of the royal procession that caught her attention, Scar. He looked oddly detached from the moment, and Nala could almost swear that she could make out a smile on his face, sneering down on the Pride.

_Please review. You can let me know how I'm doing, where you would like to see this story go. Whatever, as long as it is constructive._


	3. Nala's sadness, Scar's anger

(Hey people, sorry I've been so busy. I intended to get this chapter up a couple of weeks back, but I cant get in touch with my beta reader, and all attempts to find a new one have been fruitless. If anyone is interested, or if my old beta is looking at this, please PM, or email me. I do SO much better with a good beta.)

As time went on, the Pride Landers gradually returned to a state of normalcy. Pain being replaced with the day to day responsibilities that went with surviving in the Pride Lands. Though each Lion still mourned the passing of Simba, thoughts of him gradually receded to the back of everyone's mind.

This was true for most Lions, but certainly not Nala. As Time passed, she only found herself mourning for Simba all the more. Adventures they would have been having together now felt like stories left untold. Her only friend gone from the world Nala couldn't even find the energy to leave the cave. She laid around for days at a time, not seeing a point in leaving the den if she was as friendless and alone as she felt.

The lionesses tried their best to be helpful and supportive. Encouraging Nala to get up, and be strong. Reminding her that new friends and adventures could be just around the bend.

Nala didn't care, she didn't want new friends, she didn't want new adventuress. She wanted Simba, and any adventures without him weren't worth having. How could she be strong, he was her strength, just like she was his. Two of the world's best friends… Separated forever.

Her mother tried her best to comfort her daughter. She did her best to explain the circle of life, that Simba was still with them in the wind the sun and the stars, she tried to spend time with her, and she was as supportive as any lioness could be expected to be.

Nala, however, would not be reached. She didn't buy into that whole circle of life spiel anymore, not since Simba passed. She didn't want her mother to spend time with her. She was furious at the way her own flesh and blood could forget about Simba. Her mother still found the energy to hunt, when Nala couldn't even be bothered to eat. She didn't even want to look at her own mother, or her so called "strength".

Even little Mheetu did his best to help his sister feel better. He begged his sister to play with him, he did enough summer saults in front of her to make himself dizzy; she always laughed when he did them, and he always curled up beside her when the pride slept. He would do anything to hear his sister laugh again.

Nala didn't respond to his efforts either. She refused to get up and "play". She watched her brother's summer saults for his sake alone, but couldn't bring herself to laugh. When she was certain Mheetu had fallen asleep she moved to another part of the cave to be by herself. She didn't want to hurt his feelings. Unlike her feelings toward her mother, she had no anger at him. He was too young to understand what death was. He probably thought samba was on some sort of trip, or one of the other lies adult lions always fed the cubs when an elder would pass.

Mufasa wanted to try to help Nala, he needed her to better in a hurry, but raffikei had urged against it. "The loss of a friend so close to heart can cut deep, but some wounds must heal on their own. Give her time." With as much trust as Mufasa placed in Raffikie, the king followed the advice.

However, Mufasa was in a hurry. With the death of his son, as much as it pained him, he realized he had to find a new heir. Sairabie was too old to mother any more off spring, and Mufasa wasn't even willing to consider a new mate. He heard kings of other Prides could be quiet loose within their Prides, but he had far too much respect for his wife to cheat.

He would not so much as turn his back on an outsider, let alone let them lead the Pride. Though he acknowledged the fact that not all outsiders were evil he felt no particular trust for strangers. Too leave the Pride in anyone's care he knew he had to have nothing but trust for them.

Zazu and rafikie, though certainly trust worthy, weren't lions so they were ruled out by default.

That left only the cubs of the Pride.

Mheetu, though male, was far too young. By the time Mufasa passed on, Mheetu would still only be an adolescent. Far too immature, and inexperienced to lead the Pride

That left Nala. A cub he would be proud to consider his own daughter. Having helped one of his closest childhood friends raise Nala, he could call her his own anyway. Cunning , swift, and strong, Nala would grow into a fine young lioness.

That's why he needed her better now. He wanted to get her used to the idea as quickly as possible, so that he could introduce the idea to the Pride. After all the Pride could not be allowed to fall into Scar's hands. Mufasa had never been able to trust his brother, and he did not want to see the Pride destroyed by him.

He was saddened to have to replace his son, but the Pide needed a trustworthy heir. He knew he needed to run this idea by his mate, the Queen of Pride Rock, so with a heavy heart and carefully chosen words he approached his wife.

Sarabie was reflecting at the top of Pride Rock, overlooking the Pride Lands. As simba's mother, she missed him as much as any other lion could. However, as queen she could not allow herself to show it. She had to keep a strong front for the sake of the others. Yet she felt she betrayed her son's memory by not allowing herself time to mourn. She often found herself in the same place on Pride Rock overlooking the Pride Lands. The lands her son once explored, and adventured in, with so much energy. Now she sensed an unfillable absence, a quiet that went beyond what one could hear.

Mufasa walked silently up the Rock, and sat beside his Queen. Wordlessly, they sat and watched the early morning Pride lands.

"Quiet morning." He said breaking the silence after several minutes.

Sarabie nodded, wordlessly not trusting her voice not to wobble.

"I have chosen an heir." Mufasa said still looking over the Pridelands, not able to look at his mate. He felt as though he betrayed her, and Simba, by replacing his own son after such a short time.

Sarabie's eyes drifted over to Mufasa. "Who?" She asked in a gentle whisper. She wasn't angry, the Pride needed a leader. She just wanted that leader to be as good as her son could have been. In truth that may have been more impossible than she wanted to admit.

"Nala." Mufasa said, slowly, and reluctantly, meeting her eyes.

"Nala… She would be a fine queen." She said pain piercing her voice. Nala had been Simba's closest friend. Given time, love could have blossomed. It was only fitting that Nala be queen. Mufasa had made yet another wise decision.

Sarabie leaned in, and nuzzled her mate. Sobbing quietly, she allowed Mufasa to comfort her, and dull her pain. Crying softly, she gave in to a brief moment of weakness.

Mufasa nuzzled her back. The love of his life, and there was so little he could do to comfort her. He let her cry, and felt her tears seep into his fur. He wouldn't cry. There was little he could do, but he could at least be strong for her sake.

Scar sat silently behind the couple. Far enough off not to be seen,eaves dropping on them. He had known that his treacherous, backstabbing, older "Brother had been looking for an heir. Trying to take his birth right away from him. First his brother had stopped his rightful leadership by mating with that daughter of a rouge, and siring that mangy fur ball of a prince. He wouldn't let Mufasa stop his ascension again. This time he would nip his brother's plans in the butt. He would be King.


	4. Dark Things Coming

_A/N: Hello my faithful fans and loyal followers, I'm so sorry I've kept you all waiting for such a long time. I promise it wont happen again. From now on I'll have a new chapter up at least ( pessimistically) every two weeks. _

_I would also like to send a special shout out to Novi (almost an actress) who has made my story better than I ever could on my own. If you want to review please remember her, as she desreves as much credit as I do, if not just a little more for helping me get off my lazy butt and get up a new chapter. _

_One last note. I am open to any story ideas you may have. If you want to just PM me, and I'll take your idea into thought. ( I cant promise I'll use every idea I get, but I do promise I'll point the story in the direction you guys want me too.)_

"Mufasa! Who does he think he IS?! Scar fumed, angrily stalking back and fourth in front of his three toadies Shenzai Banzai and Ed. "I... am the RIGHTFUL king of Pride Rock! I DESERVE to rule!" He said practically roaring in the trio's face. Scar had stormed into the hyena's home, his secret staging grounds for all his evil plans, earlier that morning immediately began stalking. He only deemed to talk to his "friends", who had approached him soon after he had stormed in, till the sun had fully rise and then some.

"What happened Scar?" Shenzai braved trying to find out why the lion seemed even angrier than usual. She cringed, however, when he gave her a glare that threatened her worse than words could.

Letting up from the glare after a moment, he gave a sigh that told the hyenas how incompetent he thought they were. "My beloved big brother has found what he thinks is a more suitable heir." He said regaining his royal tone that he had forgotten in his anger. "Apparently he's forgotten his precious baby brother." He said, ending on a snarl.

"So is that it Scar?" Shenzai asked, regaining her composure somewhat. "The ki...Mufasa" she corrected, before she could make the mistake of acknowledging the black maned lion's brother as king " chose someone else to take over for him when he croaked..." She was cut off mid sentence by Banzai

"Yeah he's never gonna let you be king." He said letting out a loud wave of laughter, joined by Ed, by the insult.

The much bigger lion, however, obviously didn't find it funny. He pounced on the three and pinned them to the ground grabbing the two males by the throats. He let up soon after, however, when a sneer came onto his face. He got off, and faced the bewildered hyenas. "Of course not fools," he said putting emphasis on the insult " we're gonna kill him, and Nala too." the hyenas gave each other a nervous and confused glance as their leader let out a deranged roar of laughter.

XXX

Nala opened her eyes slowly, reluctantly. She'd had such a nice dream. Simba and her had ditched Mheetu and ran off to the watering hole by themselves. Normally the spot was dull, but today they knew a group of wildebeests were drinking, and the two mischievous cubs had a plan to stir up some trouble. They hid just under the water's surface, and when an unlucky, smaller, one of the creatures came up for a drink they popped out. They had to run for their lives when the beast regained its composure, but it was worth it to see the drowned rat expression on the animal's face.

Now, however, the dream was over and the friends would never laugh togethr again. _She_

would never laugh again.

"Simba..." Nala whimpered quietly. She wasn't sure how much time had gone by since he had passed, but ever moment she spent away from him felt like an eternity. An eternity of suffering as her pain at his absence only got worse and worse.

She rolled over onto her other side, and realized the pride had already left for th morning hunt.

Normally she wouldn't even think to leave the cave, but she couldn't even remember her last drink ad the lack of water was starting to make her head hurt. She rolled onto her feet, and since they hadn't seen any actual activity in a while, she wobbled slightly. It took her a moment for them to adjust to the strain and regain her balance.

Stepping out into the light of the midday savana, she squinted as the light blinded her for a moment. She was glad the watering hole was so close, she wouldn't have to spend much time in the cruel, all to forgetful, world. All she wanted was to go back into the cave and get back to her dreams. If she was lucky she'd dream of an adventure shared with her friend, maybe her brother too. If she wasn't so lucky she'd have one that would remind her of how big a part she had played in his death. With him having been gone for so long she'd take whatever memory her mind could conjure up. Despite how hard she fought it his memory was slowly slipping. She couldn't recall what his voice sounded like sometimes...she hated herself for that more than anything.

The dreams, though, kept his image burned into her mind. It hurt her sometimes, but she wouldn't let herself forget him for even a moment. He had apparently slipped from the Pride's memory, but she would remember him every moment of every day of her life.

As she neared the watering hole she didn't notice Simba's uncle sitting on the edge, starring into the water's surface. She didn't notice anything, she walked like the dead with the weight of the world on her tiny shoulders. She drank from the hole, and dunked her head under the water to chase away the musty smell of Pride Rock's cave. She had stopped letting her mother bathe her when her sadness had morphed into anger at the Pride. She couldn't care less what the other lions thought of her hygiene, but the smell was starting to make ever herself a little queasy.

"Nala!... How good to see you out of that dark and dirty cave." He said after the cub reemerged, startling her out of her daze, and almost making her jump. " Perhaps you're feeling better? My dear Nala your depression has truly been affecting me, not to Say I dont have plenty of my own. OH, SIMBA!" He said, mock sadness so heavy in his voice it was almost cheesy. Nala, however, didn't notice the falsity of his words. She was too interested in the fact that there might be another lion in the Pride that felt the same as she did. " I do, however, SO hope you're feeling better today?" He asked with mock concern.

A single, rueful, stare was all the young lioness could muster up in return.

" Oh... Poor Nala." He said petting her head roughly. He gave a big grin, almost a sneer, as he looked down at the little cub. " I think I know what might make you feel better." Scar said his voice filled with all too real excitement.

If it had been anyone else Nala would've glared murder at them, and stormed off. Scar, however, was Simba's idol. He admired him and looked up to hi almost as much as he had his own father. Nala hadn't seen much of the black maned lion since the incident, and had no reason to disbelieve him when he said he'd been depressed like she had herself. If it was true it would make him a far better role model than Mufasa the back stabber, or Queen forgetful. Still, she couldn't trust her voice, so she shrugged in response.

" How would you like to help me pull a little...prank...on the king!" Scar asked allowing the smile to break into a snear, and put his front leg on the cub's shoulders, pulling her closer to him.

" What do I have to do?" Nala asked, voice cracking from under use, a sneer spreading onto her face as well. This would be the perfect opportunity to mete out some well deserved justice.

" You...my dear little cub...just have to sit in the gourge and trust your dear friend Scar to take care of the rest." Scar said, fighting a victorious laugh as he saw his plans begin to come together.

_Read, review, repeat. ( I might have a suprise comeing up for you guys tommorow :) )_


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